.svg)
Antiochus III invasion of India: Difference between revisions
No edit summary Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
m (Mr.Sanemi moved page User:Mr.Sanemi/sandbox to Antiochus III invasion of India) Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
(No difference)
| |
Revision as of 12:02, 27 June 2025
| Antiochus III invasion of India | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Greek campaigns in India | |||||||||
 The Seleucid Empire in 200 BC (before expansion into Anatolia and Greece). | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Seleucid Empire | Maurya Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Antiochus III the Great | Sophagasenus 🏳️ | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Antiochus III the Great accepted the submission of Sophagasenus, he gave him a war elephants and a large amount of money.[1] | |||||||||
After the victory at Bactra, Antiochus III the Great invaded India in 206 BCE. The Hindu Kush was ruled by Sophagasenus the great grandson of Ashoka the Great who offered his submission to Antiochus III the Great. Sophagasenus not only submitted to the Greek ruler but also promised to pay tribute. After this victory Antiochus III the Great hurried back to Syria to confront the Romans.
Battle
Around 206 BCE, following his success in Bactria, Antiochus III the Great began his expedition into India. He crossed the Hindu Kush and advanced through the Kabul Valley, where he encountered a king named Sophagasenus, who Appian called, "king of the Indians." The Tibetan historian Taranatha mentions that Sophagasenus (also referred to as Subhagasena) was associated with a king named Virasena, who was the king of Gandhara, and was a descendant of Emperor Ashoka; that is, his great-grandson. In Antiochus' case, he was running out of time because he had been engaged in one military campaign after another in Bactria and Parthia, and he was also eager to return to deal with the growing Roman power from his own territory. Therefore, Antiochus was only willing to accept a nominal submission from Subhagasena. In return, Subhagasena provided eleven war elephants as well as a big money tribute. After these particulars were settled, he returned to Syria.[2][3][4]
He crossed the Caucasus and descended into India, renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus, king of the Indians, and received more elephants, raising their number to a total of one hundred and fifty, and provisioned his army once more on the spot. He himself broke camp with his troops, leaving behind Androsthenes of Cyzicus to bring back the treasure which this king (Sophagasenus) had agreed to give him.[5][6]
— Polybius
Antiochus acknowledged the submission of Sophagasenus, who, like Euthydemus, replenished his troops and gave Antiochus a contingent of war elephants and also a large indemnity, that Antiochus did not stay to collect in person; he left Androsthenes of Cyzicus behind in charge of collecting the pledged wealth. Antiochus left to head for Mesopotamia, taking a route through Arachosia and Drangiana (modern Seistān) to Carmania. We do not know who the ruler of Arachosia was at the time of Antiochus' passage.[7][8][9]
See also
Reference
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 V.D, Mahajan. Ancient India. S. Chand Publishing. p. 308. ISBN 978-93-5253-132-5.
- ↑ V.D, Mahajan. Ancient India. S. Chand Publishing. p. 308. ISBN 978-93-5253-132-5.
- ↑ Rapson, Edward James; Haig, Sir Wolseley; Burn, Sir Richard; Dodwell, Henry; Wheeler, Mortimer (1922). The Cambridge History of India: Ancient India. v. 3, Turks and Afghans. v. 4, The Mughul period. v. 5, British India, 1497-1858. v. 6, The Indian Empire, 1858-1918. Supplementary volume, The Indus civilization, by Sir M. Wheeler. University Press. p. 441.
- ↑ Rapson, Edward James; Haig, Sir Wolseley; Burn, Sir Richard; Dodwell, Henry; Wheeler, Sir Robert Eric Mortimer (1968). The Cambridge History of India. CUP Archive. p. 442.
- ↑ Kosmin, Paul J. (2014-06-23). The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire. Harvard University Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-674-72882-0.
- ↑ "Polybius, Histories, book 11, Antiochus Moves from Bactria Through Interior Asia". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
- ↑ Rapson, Edward James; Haig, Sir Wolseley; Burn, Sir Richard; Dodwell, Henry; Wheeler, Sir Robert Eric Mortimer (1968). The Cambridge History of India. CUP Archive. p. 443.
- ↑ Torri, Michelguglielmo (2025-02-25). A History of India: From the First Human Settlements to the Mughal Empire. Boydell & Brewer. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-83765-144-3.
- ↑ Indian History. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-8424-568-4.